Finance & Investment
The latest in the spheres of socially responsible investing, impact investing, and other ways investors and shareholders are asserting their desire for ethical investment options.
How Education Helps Set a Better Foundation for Long-Term Sustainability
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. If you’re a brand that cares about the environment or society but doesn’t invest in education, you’re missing an opportunity to expand your impact. This connects to a larger issue — how CSR and sustainability go far beyond any company’s immediate customer base or market.
Welcome to the Era of Regenerative Finance
While few funders have fully realized the regenerative finance vision, a growing community of financial activists is applying its core practices in initiatives that show how we can use capital as a flexible, purpose-driven tool to create healthy and equitable social and environmental systems.
More Corporate Giants Join Forces to Improve, Scale Business Investments in Climate Solutions
Amazon, Disney, Google and Netflix are among the founding companies behind the Business Alliance for Scaling Climate Solutions (BASCS), to increase the scale and impact of business investment in climate solutions.
New Tool Helps Banks, Investors Take Immediate Action to Reverse Biodiversity Loss
New ENCORE biodiversity module by the Natural Capital Finance Alliance enables banks and investors to explore their portfolio’s impact on species extinction risk and ecological integrity — particularly in terms of agriculture and mining.
Doconomy Now Shows Users Water-Impact Data for Every Purchase
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. The first-of-its-kind direct measure of our everyday consumption’s water impacts — thanks to data from S&P Global Trucost — aims to create a greater consumer understanding of the importance of water locally, nationally and globally.
Sustainable Finance Is More Than a Trend
Climate change is an issue of global concern; more and more prominent investors, businesses and institutions are calling for the incorporation of climate-related financial disclosures — and the US financial sector is uniquely positioned to take action.
HSBC, WRI, WWF Partner to Scale Next-Generation Climate Solutions
Cross-Posted from Cleantech. The US$100M initiative builds on the organizations’ individual efforts to accelerate a shift to a net-zero global economy.
Corporate Treasurers Get Serious About Shifting Cash to Communities
There’s been some skepticism regarding the announcements of big corporate investments in CDFIs and minority deposit institutions — are these one-offs just to generate a press release or first steps on long-term commitments?
Trending: Virgin, Aspiration Incentivize Sustainable Spending
Virgin Money’s sustainability-linked loans will reduce finance costs for businesses that proactively help the transition to a more sustainable economy; and Aspiration’s new credit card will enable consumers to work toward a ‘zero’ carbon footprint.
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is with This Socially Impactful Money Move
We’re calling on companies across the country to deposit $1M of their banked dollars today into credit unions serving low-income communities. Thanks to our partnership with Inclusiv, this is one smart, seamless, socially conscious money move.
5 Ways Retailers Are Winning by Aligning Financial Performance, Sustainability
Many retail and food giants are proving that businesses can grow, improve margins and bolster competitive advantage through examination of waste streams and investing in creative solutions — even during a pandemic.
Trending: Nike, Chipotle Tie Exec Compensation to Diversity, Sustainability Metrics
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. In the past week, both Nike and Chipotle announced new sets of environmental and social goals — and systems with which their executives’ compensation will be tied to achieving them.
Klarna: Can ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ Be Used for Good?
It is easy for people with money to write off services such as these for those who don’t have it, but there is a massive opportunity for Klarna to rewrite the rules of ’buy now, pay later’ and create genuinely positive impacts.
Crowdsourced Impact Investing Mobilizes Regeneration Effort in Portugal
GoParity — an innovative investment platform that finances sustainable projects through crowdlending — has enabled the villagers of fire-ravaged Belver, Portugal to expedite access to much-needed recovery funds and quickly begin reforesting.
Trending: AB InBev, Carlyle Ante Up on ESG Commitments
Two first-of-their-kind revolving credit facilities support Carlyle’s goal of 30% diverse board directors across its portfolio companies and progress toward four of AB InBev’s 2025 sustainability goals, respectively.
Dole’s ‘Sunshine for All’ Fund Strives to Close Gaps on Good Nutrition
The $2M annual fund will aim to address gaps of food affordability and waste, as well as accessibility and acceptability, around the world. Dole is seeking strategic partners to help develop solutions.
Corporations Can Support BIPOC Communities by Putting Their Money to Work
It is critical to understand and address the intersectional links between access to affordable housing, education, job creation and improved public health; and we look forward to continuing our work with organizations that target their dollars towards these needs within the communities they seek to serve.
Landmark Review Calls for Nature to Be at the Center of Economic Decision-Making
The UK Government commissioned an independent, global Review on the Economics of Biodiversity in Spring 2019. The report urges policymakers to start valuing ecosystems and says GDP encourages unsustainable growth.
Trending: Welcome to the Age of Stakeholder Capitalism
Two global coalitions have committed to make good on their companies’ DEI commitments; and adhere to a new set of Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics, respectively. Larry Fink’s annual CEO letter expounds on the need for both.
Trending: Brands, Investors Show They’re Banking on Net-Zero Transition
As 2020 finally winds down; a number of investor, brand and banking initiatives shows that this year’s many challenges haven’t derailed major global efforts to achieve, at minimum, a net-zero future.
